Oriented growth of single-crystal Ni nanowires onto amorphous SiO₂

Highly oriented, single-crystal Ni nanowire arrays have been synthesized atop amorphous SiO2∥Si substrates using a single-step chemical vapor deposition method in the absence of any foreign catalyst. Electron and X-ray diffraction confirm the crystalline quality of the Ni nanowires while magnetoresistance measurements probe the magnetic response and the behavior is explained using simulation results for nanoscale, single-crystal Ni. A growth mechanism involving competing chemical, energetic, and kinetic influences is presented.